The present invention relates generally to a mounting assembly for a control pedal of a vehicle.
In the vehicle industry, the manufacturers strive towards a more time efficient and cost-conscious assembly of the vehicles, this to minimize the manufacturing cost. Further, the manufacturers also strive towards a simple design of the included components and sometimes also with integrated multiple functionalities which imply that less components are needed. A component design with few components that are time efficient to assembly are thus worth aiming at to achieve a cost efficient assembly.
From prior art it is known multiple mounting assemblies for control pedals in vehicles. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,338 a mounting for a control pedal in a motor vehicle is described. The mounting includes a mourning bracket fixed relative to the vehicle having apertures defining an axis of rotation. The pedal has a hub defining pivot axis. In the hub spring loaded bearings are adapted to automatically snap axially outward from a first position to a second position, thereby rotatably connecting the pedal with the bracket, when the pivot axis is aligned with the axis of rotation. Pedal end caps are snapped onto the hub and interposed between the hub and the bracket. A drawback with the mounting assembly according to prior art is that it is composed of several individual components which makes the assembly of the mounting assembly time consuming and also expensive to manufacture, due to the large amount of included components.
It is desirable to create a mounting assembly for a control pedal of a vehicle, which mounting assembly achieves an improved and shortened assembly time. Further, it is desirable to provide a mounting assembly with a robust, and reliable mourning assembly with freedom from play.
The mounting assembly for a control pedal of a vehicle according to an aspect of the invention comprises two walls arranged in parallel in relation to each other, a pivot shaft extending between the walls, two locking means arranged to pivotally retain the pivot shaft in a use position between the walls, at least a control pedal rigidly provided on the pivot shaft, which control pedal and pivot, shaft are rotatable around an axis of rotation.
Further, the mounting assembly is provided with a joint which comprises at least one lock protrusion provided on at least one of the locking means and an internal groove provided in at least one of the walls, which internal groove the at least one lock protrusion is arranged to engage with when the locking means is in a use position. By the locking means having a lock protrusion arranged to engage with an internal groove of the wall, a controlled rotational and axial movement of the locking means in relation to the wall is achieved when the locking means is moved into a use position. The at least one of the locking means further comprises a rotating prevention protrusion extending radially from an outer surface of the locking means, the rotating prevention protrusion being arranged to engage with a stop arranged on the at least one of the walls when the locking means is in the use position. Such a rotating prevention protrusion in co-operation with the stop prevents the locking means from rotating in relation to the wall when in the use position.
The at least one lock protrusion may be radially extending from an outer surface of the locking means.
The at least one lock protrusion may be provided with a lock protrusion parts, whereof first and second lock protrusion parts are arranged to engage with the internal groove and a third lock protrusion part is arranged to mesh with an internal side of at least one of the walls. The first and second lock protrusion parts are arranged as side parts and the third lock protrusion part is arranged centrally in between the first and second lock protrusion parts. The third lock protrusion part is arranged to mesh with a stop arranged on the inner side of the wall, when in the use position.
The at least one locking means may be provided with a grip for enabling movement of the locking means from an insertion position to the use position. The grip may for example be a hex key grip.
Each wall of the mounting assembly may be provided with a through opening with a shape complementary to the outer circumferential shape of the locking means, so as to be able to insert the locking means into the through opening. The mounting assembly is preferably manufactured of a polymeric material.
According to an embodiment, the stop is a second indentation into the wall from an outer side of the wall that is to co-operate with the rotation preventing protrusion. Hereby, rotation of the locking means in relation to the wall is prevented as the rotation preventing protrusion meshes with the second indentation. The rotation preventing protrusion may have a shape substantially complementary to the shape of the second indentation. The second indentation may extend from an opening of the wall, i.e. the indentation is reached from the outside of the wall as well as from the opening.
According to another embodiment, the locking means further comprises one or more axial securing protrusions protruding in a radial direction from the outer surface of the locking means, the axial securing protrusions being arranged at a second axial end of the locking means. Hereby, the axial securing protrusions will co-operate with the inner wall when the locking means have been inserted into the use position, thereby preventing any movement of the locking means in an axial direction back out of the opening.
According to another embodiment, the axial securing protrusions and/or the rotation prevention protrusion are deflectable in a radial direction of the locking means. Hereby, the rotation prevention protrusion can snap into the second indentation when the locking means are inserted into the use position so as to prevent that the rotation prevention protrusion falls out of the second indentation again. In a similar way, the axial securing protrusion being deflectable makes the axial securing protrusions snapping outwardly inside the wall when the locking means have reached the use position. Hereby the axial securing protrusion will bear against the inner side of the wall so as to prevent axial movement of the locking means.